This blog is about Los Angeles' unique history reflected in the buildings, parks, and public spaces of the city and county.

Monday, December 6, 2010

School Mosaic: Lunada Bay Elementary

This five-by-nine foot mosaic represents about 360 hours of work by Girl Scout Troop 603, during the 2005-2006 school year. The girls worked in two-hour shifts on weekends and evenings to piece together the tile mosaic. The completed artwork got the troop a Bronze Award, the highest honor that Girl Scouts of that age (juniors) can earn.

Why China? Lunada Bay Elementary is one of several Palos Verdes Peninsula schools that teaches Chinese language and culture to kids. The panda in the center represents China, of course, and the dolphin is the mascot of Lunada Bay Elementary--in fact, the second photo shows a sculpture of dolphins outside the school.

Parents say the fifth-grade girls designed the mosaic themselves. The Chinese character for "Friendship" is in there, between the two animals that share the earth. Each student made a tile with their own names in both English and Chinese.

As for the other tiles--the girls cracked them with their own hammers, cut and fitted and glued them in place. And to me--bearing in mind that I am not an artist--it looks fantastic.

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Boomer Book

by Vickey Kall,

Death Speaker tells the story of Emyn, a beautiful Celtic peasant who hears the dead, set against the backdrop of Caesar's invasion of Gaul. Read the first chapters for free at DeathSpeaker.com, or buy the book now at Amazon.com.

About Me

I'm a freelance writer specializing in history, who's lived on the fringes of Los Angeles for decades. Visit my website at Kalambakal.com to see more of my work, or follow me on Twitter: @VKHistory.
I have three other blogs and you can see them at Kalambakal.com/my-blogs/
My magazine articles are written as Vickey Kalambakal; my books as Vickey Kall (easier to spell!)